Say Hello to Bablibot (Babybot): A Vaccines Chatbot

Subhash Chandir, Danya Arif, and Ali Habib of IRD Global in Singapore will develop a text-based immunization chatbot that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing to provide vaccine education and practical information to caregivers to improve vaccine coverage in Pakistan. Although free clinics exist, many children remain incompletely vaccinated because caregivers are unaware of the importance of immunization and uninformed about clinic locations and schedules. They will develop Bablibot – a chatbot to replicate interactive human conversations and able to understand caregiver queries and respond with automated text messages. The bot will provide information on immunization locations and schedules, address post-vaccination concerns, and prompt caregivers when vaccinations are due, easing the burden on overworked health workers. Chatbot conversations will be validated through human-in-the-loop (HITL) to enhance AI potential and, if needed, connect the caregiver with a human being. It will be widely accessible as it works via text. It will be pilot tested by integrating with the existing digital immunization registry of over one million children and recruiting 5,000 caregivers. The ability of Bablibot to provide accurate information, continuity of care, and convenient interaction with the healthcare system could increase immunization demand and coverage.